Dark Aide
by Chikidee
Summary: Legolas is hiding something, can Aragorn and the twins figure it out before it's too late? The rating might change for later chapters, Enjoy!
1. Default Chapter

Howdie all. This is a first for me, so I hope you like it. Please read and tell me what u think, I would love to hear from you. Enjoy!

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Chapter 1: **The Arrival **

It was a most splendid day for riding. The sun was warm and bright, not a cloud covered the immensely blue sky. There were no orcs for miles. Just his chance to relax and spend his time thinking and not worrying about whether or not he would get there in one piece. But not everything can go as planned.

"That is not true gwador, how did I know that Glorfindel would walk around the corner at that specific time? It was not completely my fault."

Aragorn groaned inwardly. They were at it again, couldn't they give him just 5 minutes of silence? His brothers, Elladan and Elrohir, were arguing with each other again. He new it was all in good fun, but it was still annoying.

He was starting to think that they would never reach Mirkwood. He was so excited; Legolas didn't even know that they were coming. He didn't want to admit it, but he was mildly worried about his old friend.

His ada had received a very strange letter from Thranduil and had not even let his sons see what was written. It was very odd, and Aragorn was a very stubborn man. He made sure that he always got his way.

He cringed at the thought of what his ada was going to say, and do, when they returned. Hopefully Legolas would let them stay for a while. He didn't think he could face Elrond for a while; maybe he would cool down a bit before they returned. Oh well, he could only hope.

Aragorn smiled as he and his brothers passed through the borders of Mirkwood. He didn't think he could take much more of those two.

'Only a couple more hours to hold on, then I will be rid of them for a while.' Aragorn smiled at the thought.

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It had been about half an hour since their cross over into Mirkwood, and Aragorn was eagerly awaiting the sight of his old and dearest friend.

'It has been at least 5 years. Not long for Legolas, yet it feels as if it has been forever for me.' Thought Aragorn.

Suddenly his brothers ceased their banter and stayed stock-still. Aragorn had been with them many times before and knew what it meant. The two elves had heard something and were deciding if it was something to worry about or not.

Aragorn knew that Mirkwood had patrols out this far, and he only hoped that it was them and not the huge hairy spiders that Legolas had to deal with so many times a day.

All of a sudden there was a noise from above, and a hooded elf dropped from a nearby tree. Aragorn looked up and saw about a dozen other hooded archers aiming their razor-sharp arrows at them.

' Oh great,' he thought, 'the welcoming party has just arrived'

The Hooded figure in front of them stood there silently, scrutinizing them. He finally lowered his weapon, and then his hood. Aragorn smiled in relief, but his face didn't stay content for long.

Legolas stared back at them with unusually dark and depressing eyes, their intense blue faded and dim. Aragorn gaped at him in shock. How could this be his friend staring back at him, he looked so tired and so much older. He was much paler than any normal elf should have been, and the golden hair that Legolas kept in such good condition looked matted and dry.

Aragorn looked back at his brothers, both of whom shared the same confused expressions on their faces. They both climbed down from their horses, and Aragorn followed suit.

Legolas smiled slightly as he gazed at his friends, but it was gone as fast as it had appeared.

"It is good to see you my friends," he said sadly, " however, I'm afraid that you have come at a bad time. We are quite busy at the palace and I am in no need of a distraction."

Aragorn couldn't believe what his friend had just said. He thought of Aragorn and the twins as a…'distraction'? How could this be Legolas, it certainly must be an imposter.

"Well, if you think it is for the best Legolas, then we will go." Stated Elladan after a few minutes of thought. Aragorn turned and looked sharply at the older twin, but Elladan just ignored the young human.

"However, we are in need of a rest for we have traveled 3 days non stop. If you would permit us to stay in the palace for one night, we would be very grateful." Finished Elrohir

Aragorn suddenly realized what his brothers were doing and tried to make himself looked haggard and worn out, which actually wasn't that hard to do.

The three riders could see the struggle going on inside their friend. They knew for sure that Legolas would never let them down in a time of need, no matter what. But they were also puzzled as to why their friend was so anxious to get rid of them. They just hoped that their friend hadn't changed on the inside as much as he had on the outside.

Legolas finally nodded towards his friends and abruptly turned and disappeared into the trees. Aragorn, taking this as a good sign, leaped onto his horse and headed off towards the palace knowing that his brothers were right on his tail. Hopefully when they arrived, they would discover the source of their friend's anguish and put a stop to it. If only they had more than a day.

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I hope you all liked my first chapter. Please review and let me know what you think. Tell me all the things I did wrong, and all the things you love about it…and me. lol. Neways, let me know if u want me to continue, or not.

:D hugs to all -Legsi


	2. Chapter 2

I forgot to do the disclaimer in the first chapter, so here it is. I don't own any of the Lord of the Rings characters…Damn eh?… A couple of them are mine but obviously there just there to fill in the blanks. Hope you all enjoy the second chapter, let me know what you think too. :D

Thanx to all 4 of you who reviewed for chapter 1. lol

**Sakume: **Thanx for the grammar tip, although I'm very bad at it no matter how many times I read it over. Hope u enjoy the rest.

**HarryEstel:** Here is more. I hope u like it and I hope it's not a let down. Enjoy and thanx for the review.

**Kestrel of Valinor: **Hey, thanx for the review, to both of you. lol. And as I said up there, I hope u like it and that its not a let down. :D even though I hope that its not.

**Roguish Smile: **Howdie, here is more, and I hope that it's still curious and interesting. Enjoy it and thanx for the review.:D

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Chapter 2:** Thoughts of the Past**

Legolas looked down at his friends as they rode off towards the palace.

'How could they be here?' He wondered, grasping the branch tightly. His sad eyes the only hint as to what his real feelings were.

He nodded towards his patrol. "Beren, you are to lead now. Continue to patrol the border, I will return later." Legolas turned towards the palace and swiftly guided himself through the trees.

If is father found out that they were here, he would be to blame for sure. Maybe they would do as they say and leave in the morning. Legolas sighed sadly, he knew his friends, and he also knew that if they thought something was wrong they would not leave so easily. Legolas shivered involuntarily, he would just have to tell his father.

Legolas stopped his bounding through the forest and remembered a time before his father had changed; a time when they could laugh and talk as father and son should. But everything was so different now.

His ada's adviser had left to be with his family for a time, and a new one would soon be appointed in his place. Legolas had noticed that Thranduil was considering an old and odd elf, Lólindir. This puzzled Legolas because he was sure that his ada did not like this particular elf very much. When Legolas confronted his father on the topic, it was dismissed, and Legolas felt like he had been treated as if he were a child.

That was first when Legolas noticed the change in his ada. Thranduil had always held him in the highest regards and was interested and understandable with everything that he said. Now it seemed as if his father was ignoring him. Legolas was from then on banned from all council meetings and no one was allowed to tell him of the items of discussion.

Legolas just hoped that it was a passing faze, but who knew how wrong he was. He shut his eyes at the thought of the first time his father had struck him.

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Flashback 

"How Could You Let This Happen Legolas? Two of your men were injured, one of them might never regain consciousness, and it's All Your Fault!"

Legolas had never seen his father this angry before. He stood in front of his livid king, eyes looking down inspecting the floor tiles. He could not face his ada for fear that his gaze would kill him right there on the spot.

Thranduil had never been angry over a surprise attack from spiders before, what made this time different? Finally Legolas looked up into the enraged face of his ada.

"I'm sorry. They just came out of know where ada, I…" Legolas had never been struck by his ada before, and the force of the strike sent him reeling onto the floor stunned and a little dazed. Had he just been hit by his own ada?

Thranduil got down very close to his son, his face red with fury. "Don't you call me that Ever Again. I am your king and I would like you to remember that. You will speak to me as every other person does in this kingdom, do you understand?"

Legolas could not speak; he could barely even nod his head. The second blow also caught him off guard. Legolas was puzzled, until he realized his mistake.

"Yes…yyyour highness"

Legolas was hurting, both inside and out. He wasn't allowed to call him ada anymore? Did Thranduil just disown him? A million and one thoughts were rushing through his head, each one said the same hurtful thing…his father didn't love him anymore.

Thranduil got up swiftly and strode stiffly towards the door. Not noticing his only son silently crying in the middle of the throne room.

End Flashback

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A lonely tear made its way down Legolas' cheek as the memories came flooding back. His father had struck him for the first time that day, but it would not be the last. Legolas would try to do everything right, but it was not enough for his ada. No, not his ada…not anymore. 

'I'd better get going' he thought. It would not be very good if the king saw their 'guests' before Legolas introduced them officially. He would not be very forgiving.

Legolas leaped to the next branch, a million scenarios going on in his head. He only hoped that Thranduil was in a good mood today.

He saw the Palace in the distance. He could see Aragorn and the twins waiting by the stables with their horses. They were waiting for him. Legolas was slightly relieved; the king hadn't seen them yet. He was going to introduce them, tell him they would only spend the night, and hopefully he won't be too mad.

'Iluvatar, help me.' Sighed Legolas as he approached the trio and prepared to jump down.

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Here is the second chapter, I hope you all like it. But if you don't, oh well, your loss.:D Please review and let me know what you think of the second bit, I always like constructive criticism. Hope you all enjoyed it. 

Hugs all round –Legsi


	3. Chapter 3

Hey all, once again these characters are not mine, sniff, it hurts just saying it. lol

I hope you all like the third chapter, please tell me what you think, I love reviews, they're what make me get up in the mornings. :P

Thanx to all who reviewed for the second chapter:

**HarryEstel:** I am soooo glad you still love it. Here is more and I hope you enjoy. And I hope I'm not killing you too much, cause if I am then you're not able to read it and then…no I just can't think about it. sniff Hope you like:D

**Deana:** I LOVE your stories sooooo much and I am sooooo happy that you are reading mine too. :D thanx for reviewing, hope you enjoy!

**Roguish Smile:** No of course Thranduil isn't this mean, but I had to make someone mean (sorry to everyone who loves him). I'm so glad that you like and I hope you enjoy the third chapter. :D

**Kestrel of Valinor:** Oh no, he's back! I hope he doesn't make you burn too many things down, but let him burn down the school, that one can benefit many people at the same time. :P lol just kidding. Neways, I glad you like it. Hope you enjoy the third chapter :P

**Marauding-siriusly: **:D I'm sooo glad you like it, and I will try to update as much as I can. Enjoy the third chapter and I would love it if you review again.

**Joee1:** I am so glad that you like it. I have also read some of your stories too and I Love them. So glad that you're reading mine. Hope you enjoy, please review again, I love 'em.

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Chapter 3: **Meeting The King**

Aragorn was beginning to get impatient; Legolas should have made it back by now, what was keeping him?

Suddenly a hand tapped him on the shoulder, and he whirled around in fright. He was about to shout at one of his brothers for scaring him like that, when he noticed that it was Legolas.

Aragorn smiled at the friend he'd known since his infancy, but to his disappointment, the same cheerful grin was not mirrored back.

"Come, give your horses to the stable-hands, and I will bring you to my father. After I will show you to your rooms." Legolas started to walk towards the palace, hoping that they were following, but a dismal voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Mellon nin, what is wrong?" The twins rolled their eyes; Aragorn had a way of getting right to the point.

Without turning, Legolas replied, "I do not understand as to why you would ask such a question, Estel. Nothing is wrong, I am just tired from the many patrols I have had to perform. It has been difficult to keep our borders safe. Please, we must move on, I am in a hurry." And with that, Legolas continued his walk towards the palace.

Aragorn didn't buy a word of what Legolas had just said, and he was sure that his brothers didn't either. Legolas has never been tired enough for it to show as much as it is, he is an elf. He is also the best warrior that Aragorn has ever seen, although he would never admit that when his brothers were around.

Aragorn was sure that Legolas was lying, but he would accept this answer for now and hopefully he could find out the real reason when he talked to Legolas later.

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Legolas walked swiftly through the hallways hoping that they could get this over and done with. He was not so eager to talk to the king right now, but he had to or else he would suffer the consequences later. 

He glanced back and saw that Estel and the twins were following quickly as well, but not as fast as Legolas. He noticed that they lingered farther back, watching him as he walked on ahead. Legolas inwardly smiled at his friends concerns. He loved them as if they were his own brothers, but right now he wished that they were not here.

Legolas inwardly groaned as he saw who was up ahead. 'Lólindir, just the elf I want to see right now,' he thought sarcastically. Legolas despised this particular elf, and was still quite puzzled as to why his father tolerated him.

"Ah Legolas," cried the ancient and deceitful elf, "off to see your father I presume?"

Aragorn watched as the older elf smiled, but there was something a bit 'off' about his smile that he couldn't quite place.

Legolas, not seeming to notice, nodded towards Lólindir. "Yes adviser," Legolas cringed at the word, he hated that this elf was now considered significant to his ada, "I was on my way to present my guests to him. Now, if you will excuse me."

Legolas didn't even wait for an answer, he just simple brushed past and continued on his way. Aragorn and the twins smiled politely as they walked by, but Aragorn was still unnerved about something. He was sure of one thing, he did Not like this elf.

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The foursome traveled through the long and twisting corridors until they came to a grand and most beautifully carved door. 

'The throne room,' guessed Aragorn as he looked up and down at its eccentric detail.

Legolas knocked on the door and waited for a reply.

"YES?" Boomed a voice from inside. Aragorn watched as Legolas took a deep, shaky breath, and pushed open the huge doors with one great shove.

Elladan, Elrohir, and Aragorn all followed Legolas into the immensely massive room. The twins had both seen this great hall before, but this was the first time that Aragorn had ever been in a room as lovely as this one. Mostly it was Legolas who visited him instead of the other way round.

At the back of the hall was a desk filled with scrolls and scrolls of information, maps, and many other objects strewn about. Behind this mess was the noble king. Aragorn's first memory of him was when he had fallen from a tree; the king had reached down and helped him up. "Even elf-lings fall on their first attempts, give it another try," he had said. After that, Aragorn had always held in the most highest regards.

But now, Aragorn was not so sure. The king looked as bad as Legolas, and maybe even worse. His hair was just as dull and matted; his skin was as pale as the moon. However, the things that Aragorn noticed first were his eyes. They had dark circles underneath, and they held a kind of pain and anger that made Aragorn look anywhere but right at them.

"What is it Legolas, I'm busy."

Aragorn had never seen Legolas this nervous before. He had known his friend to charge towards 100 screaming orcs, ok that might be a little exaggerated, but to see his friend fidget like this was not right.

"The sons of Elrond are here your highness. They wish to spend the night and depart in the morning. I thought you would like to know."

Aragorn had just expected the king to say 'yes that is fine ion-nin, and you three can stay as long as you want, just make sure to let your ada know what your plans are', but oh how wrong he was.

The king stood up and looked Legolas right in the eye, then shouted in a roaring voice that made even Legolas jump.

"Do you think I Care about what you and your friends do Legolas? Just get out of my sight, All of you, and make sure you are gone by mid-day tomorrow, 'sons of Elrond', or else you will have me to answer to."

Aragorn just couldn't believe his ears, the great and noble king of Mirkwood was yelling at them to get out of his sight. He just stood their gawking with his brothers. Even Legolas stood there; even he didn't expect his father to say something like that.

"GO!" Thranduil shouted after no one moved, "NOW!"

All four of the youngsters jumped and quickly exited the throne room. Legolas shut the doors on his way out and sighed in relief.

Elladan turned to Legolas. "What in all of Arda was that, Legolas? Does he always shout at you like that?"

Legolas just turned towards the sons of Elrond and sighed, "I will show you to your rooms, they're the ones you usually have so I'm sure you will be comfortable. Come, it is this way." Before anyone could say anything else, Legolas turned and hurried down the hallway.

The Twins and Aragorn just stared after him. Finally Elrohir turned to his brothers.

"Something is terrible wrong here. Legolas is cold and undetached; his ada looks miserable and so very angry. This is not the regular Mirkwood I remember."

"I agree gwador, something is not right."

Aragorn turned to his brothers, "we have to get it out of him, no matter what. You heard what his ada said; we only have until mid-day tomorrow. I don't know about you but that is not a lot of time."

The twins nodded at what their adoptive brother said, they needed to find out what was wrong with their friend.

"We will talk to him when we get to our rooms, we must not let him leave or else we might not find him for the rest of the night."

Elladan and Elrohir nodded and set off after Legolas in the direction of their rooms.

'Please let us help you, Legolas,' Aragorn wished as he too chased after his brothers down the hallway and towards his troubled and suffering friend.

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I hope you all liked the Third chapter, thanx for all your reviews too. And if new people are reading this, I would love your reviews too. Please, please, please! I love reviews; they make my world go round. Lol, well neways. Hope you all enjoy and I will try and update the next chapter soon. Love you all! 

Hugs are on me. –Legsi


	4. Chapter 4

Hey everyone. I am SOOOOO sorry that I haven't been able to update more. I've been really busy and I hope you're not to angry. And like I said before, these ppl are not mine.

And thanx to all who reviewed the last chapter:

**Deana:** You can hug him…here throws Legolas to Deana, hug all you want. Hope you like the 4th chapter!

**HarryEstel:** Hope you like this chapter. Yeah it would be great if you wrote about Estel and how Thranduil taught him to climb. Just let me know when you're done cause I'd really like to read it. Glad you liked chapter 3, please let me know how 4 is.

**Kestrel of Valinor:** Whoohoo, look at that baby burn.. uh I mean, omg somebody call the fire department! Hehe. I hope you like the 4th chapter, thanx for reviewing. :D

**P.L. Wynter: **No of course he doesn't truly hate his son, that would be horrible. Thanx for reviewing, and I hope you like number 4. Please let me know. :D

**Joee1: **and then… he went to the store and bought bread, but he accidentally got the wrong kind to he had to go back and by milk instead. Wasn't that great. Ok now here's number 4, hope you like it!

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Chapter 4: **The Truth, Almost!**

Legolas hurried down the winding corridors towards the guest rooms that his friends would be staying in. He sighed in relief at how the King had reacted. It may have seemed very harsh towards the twins, but Legolas was just grateful that Thranduil was probably in one of his better moods today.

Legolas quickened his pace, he could hear the twins' light footsteps catching up, as well as the human's more heavy footfalls a bit farther behind them. All he wanted to do was show them their rooms, then go back to his patrol before anything else happened. At least out in the woods he could escape the sons of Elrond until it was time for them to go.

Legolas rounded the last corner and dashed down the hallway to where three separate doors stood. He then stopped, turned, and waited until the twins had rounded the corner.

The prince didn't have to wait very long since the twins were almost running down the hallways to catch up with their friend. Even Aragorn appeared not long after they did.

Sighing, Legolas walked into the room that Aragorn usually slept in to show the twins and Aragorn around in the usually manner.

In Legolas' haste, he didn't catch the look that was passed between all three brothers as they entered the room. Legolas didn't even notice as each one took a certain place around the room.

Elladan stayed right where he was, blocking the prince's escape through the main doorway, and also silently closing it behind them. Elrohir was stationed in front of the door that linked the two bedrooms together, just in case Legolas tried that way. Aragorn walked slowly over to the window, and closed it as noiselessly as he could.

However, Aragorn wasn't as discreet as he would've liked to be. Legolas whipped around in time to see Aragorn closing the latch on the door, he saw both twins standing guard over each exit. It was all he could do not to panic.

"What are you doing?" Legolas sneered at them. How could they think that they could trap him in his own home?

Aragorn sighed, 'this wasn't going to be easy' he thought.

"We just want to help you Legolas. You're really starting to worry us." Elladan inched forward from the door, but not enough for Legolas to slide by.

Suddenly Legolas lunged, he had picked what he thought to be the weakest target, and went for him. Aragorn was surprised, to say the least, to see an angry blonde flash coming his way. He had no time to react, and was tackled harshly to the ground.

The twins, however, were quick to action and jumped upon the elf as he tried to get up and unlatch the window. All three elves tumbled around on the floor, Legolas thrashing as much as he could, hoping to dislodge the other two elves.

One of the twins accidentally elbowed Legolas in the stomach, and was quite surprised to hear a cry of pain escape from their friend's mouth. The twins suddenly stopped their scuffle and stepped back horrified that they had caused their friend pain.

Legolas, taking the advantage, quickly got up and headed for the door. However his escape was interrupted as Aragorn rushed and tackled him from behind.

Legolas tried to hide the flash of pain, but he only succeeded with a muffled grunt. The twins abruptly recovered from their shock and lunged towards their friend and brother as they wrestled on the floor.

Elrohir went for his arms while Elladan struggled with Legolas' flailing legs. Aragorn, being swiftly untangled from the prince, sat on his stomach to make sure that he wasn't going anywhere. However, he did not miss the small wince that escaped Legolas' stone features.

"Now Legolas are you going to tell us what's wrong?" Asked Aragorn.

Legolas looked everywhere except at the three pairs of worried eyes looking down at him. "Please…get off me." He whispered.

Elrohir sighed, "Not until you tell us what is wrong Greenleaf!"

Legolas closed his eyes. "Please," he said again, "…it hurts."

Aragorn's eyes widened in shock and he slowly got up from his friends stomach. The twins, however, stayed where they were, not knowing if Legolas was going to bolt again.

Legolas sighed slightly as the weight was removed from his stomach. Aragorn studied his friend closely, and slowly reached for the hem of his friend's tunic.

Legolas, knowing his friend's intentions, started to thrash about again. "No Aragorn, please. You mustn't…please."

Aragorn ignored the prince's demand and lifted up his shirt. All three brothers gasped in shock at what they saw. The prince's stomach was covered all over with bruises, from deep purple to a cloudy yellow. Small cuts could also be seen in random places along his abdomen.

Aragorn felt the tears welling up in his eyes. "What happened Legolas, who did this to you?"

Legolas closed his eyes; he couldn't bear to watch his friends' reactions. "I fell." Was the simple reply that they heard.

Elladan almost felt like laughing. "You fell Legolas? How many times did you fall then? Some of these bruises are recent, while others are healing and have almost faded away. Tell us the truth Legolas…please."

Legolas sighed again, he couldn't tell them; he just couldn't. "I fell."

The three brothers groaned in frustration. "Fine, if you want to be that way Legolas, then we have no other choice. Aragorn, grab the rope from my pack, if Legolas won't tell us anything now, we will just have to wait until he does."

The look of shock on Legolas' face would have been hilarious under any other circumstances, but right at this moment it was heart breaking.

"No, please. I have to get to my patrol. If I'm not there, something might happen. And it might not sit to kindly with the king. Please, I must go!"

"Legolas I'm sure they are just fine. They are fine warriors; they can take care of themselves. And even if something happens I'm sure it would be an accident, no one would blame you."

"Please, I must get to them. Please let me go." Legolas was desperate. If the king found out he was here and not heading back to his patrol, there would defiantly be some repercussions.

"Legolas, I'm sure…" Elladan stopped as he heard a door slam and the shout of someone's name. He looked down and saw Legolas pale as he heard the noises as well. They stayed quiet for a moment and listened. The footsteps were coming closer and the shout was more definite.

"LEGOLAS!" Shouted the booming voice that could only belong to the king. "COME HERE NOW LEGOLAS!"

The prince jumped up so quickly that he fell over the twins as they tried to stop him. They could hear more doors being slammed, that one was Elrohir's room; that one was Elladan's room; next would be the room that they're in.

Legolas started to shake as he heard the king approaching. The twins looked at each other and at Aragorn. Maybe they should have let Legolas leave.

Suddenly the door burst open and there stood the face of a very angry king.

"Legolas! Can I Speak To You Please?"

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I hope you all liked it, and I apologize again for not getting it updated right away. Please Forgive Me! well anyways, let me know what you think; good, bad, good, bad, awful, great… well you get the picture. Thanx to all. 

Hugs to all, and to all a good Hug! -Legsi


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